University of Aachen, Germany

Optical tracking in huge VR installations

aixCAVE project at the University of Aachen facilitates interactive exploration of scientific phenomena.

The main objective behind RWTH Aachen University's latest CAVE installation was to interactively visualize data from science and engineering by means of virtual reality methods. Scientists should be enabled to move in the field of operation and virtually explore their data.

The tracking solution

The display system, called aixCAVE, is a five-sided immersive virtual reality environment which has recently been installed at the Center for Computing and Communication, RWTH Aachen University. It's construction started in August 2012 and was carried out by the Barco N.V. in collaboration with RWTH's Virtual Reality Group.

While it is one of the largest systems in the world, featuring a rear-projected floor of more than 5 x 5 m², it also raises the standards in terms of projection quality: by a sophisticated combination of high resolution, high brightness, brightness uniformity, specially coated screens, elaborate mechanical construction, active stereo technology and a high quality ART tracking system, a high level of immersion and an illusion of presence are achieved. The aixCAVE will be profitably and extensively used by numerous RWTH institutes and cooperation various partners from academia and industry.

Why ART ?

• Large and high-quality tracking area
  • The high requirements for a large and high-quality tracking area could be perfectly fulfilled by the ART tracking system.
• Long-term partnership with ART
  • The long-term partnership between ART and the RWTH Aachen University added to this project's success.

Set up

• 24 HD active stereo projectors: Barco Galaxy NW12
• Radio-based active stereo NVIDIA 3DVision Pro shuttering at 120Hz
• 4 x ARTTRACK5 + 5 x ARTTRACK2